Speak directly to our team
01603 218099
Claims
We understand that insurance is there as a safety net for when things go wrong and that making a claim usually happens when things are at their most stressful. At Alan Boswell Group we want to help reduce that stress so we have put together our own team of highly experienced claims staff to help and support you through the claims process.
If you need to make a claim you can call us and we’ll help you every step of the way.
The Alan Boswell Group Difference
We have a dedicated claims support team of experienced personnel. Our people are there to help and support you and to manage your insurance claim for you through any crisis on a day-to-day basis.
We will liaise with the insurer and other parties such as Loss Adjusters and Motor Engineers to ensure you get personal service of the highest order and the best settlement possible for your insurance claim.
In an emergency
In an emergency that occurs outside normal office hours you will normally find a helpline number for the insurance company in your policy documentation.
We have compiled a list of the most common emergency numbers for household, private car, landlords and commercial insurances.
Product specific claims
Claims responsibilities
All insurance policies have claims conditions that impose certain requirements . A failure to meet these can lead to problems obtaining a full settlement or, in some cases, getting any payment at all.
Your basic responsibilities where a claim or accident reporting incident arises are:
- To report the incident to us or your insurer immediately;
- To take all reasonable steps to minimise the loss;
- To advise the authorities, where appropriate;
- To co-operate with us and/or your insurer in any investigation including the supply of supporting evidence;
- To act at all times in good faith;
- Where damage to another person or their property is concerned (for example in the case of motor accidents), to never admit liability to anyone and refer any correspondence received direct to us and unanswered.
Remember that you have a duty to report accidents even where they may not immediately lead you to make a claim. For instance, consider a motor accident where little damage appears to have been done and both parties depart the scene amicably. You should still report the incident. This is in case sometime afterwards the other driver discovers that there is damage to their vehicle and that you are at fault for it. Or worse, that them or a passenger have been hurt in the accident (something they may well not have noticed at the time).
Advice on Insurance claims
When loss or damage occurs, it is useful to make a written note of the basic facts such as the time of discovery or when the incident occurred. Best do this as soon as you can as the memory quickly fades.
The following notes are designed to help you more specifically with most of the typical claim types:
Damage to Property
Make a list of the damaged property and find as much as you can in the way of documentary evidence to support the amounts claimed, such as receipts or repair estimates.
If damage is extensive we will arrange for a Loss Adjuster to attend.
Some insurers operate their own property replacement and repair services. If you are unsure as to whether these services apply in your particular case please contact our Claims Department.
Theft of Property
Make a list of the lost or damaged items and find as much as you can in the way of documentary evidence to support the amounts claimed, such as receipts or repair estimates.
Notify the Police of the incident and keep a note of the Crime Reference Number and station address.
Some insurers operate their own property replacement service. If you are unsure as to whether these services apply in your particular case please contact our Claims Department.
Loss of Money
Documentary evidence (such as cash withdrawal slips) showing the exact amount of money stolen will be required.
Notify the Police of the incident and keep a note of the Crime Reference Number and station address.
Motor Accidents
At the scene of the accident obtain details of:
- Third parties names and addresses
- The registration number of any vehicles involved; and
- Whenever possible, the name and address of any witness to the accident.
It is a requirement that all accidents are reported as soon as possible, even where there is no damage to your vehicle. Any accident involving injury needs to be reported to the Police.
Most motor insurers operate a 24-hour helpline where they can take details of the accident over the telephone and arrange for your vehicle to be removed to an approved repairer, if necessary. Always have your Policy Number to hand when contacting insurers direct and please take a note of their claim reference number.
Any correspondence received from third parties, or their representatives, should be forwarded immediately, unanswered, to us or your insurer for attention. Insurers only have a limited time to respond to third party correspondence, so it is essential that this is done quickly.
Most insurers operate an Approved Repairer Scheme – details of which will be provided via their helpline, or contact our Claims Department.
Motor Theft
Theft of a vehicle should be reported immediately to the Police and as soon as possible to us or your insurers. Keep a record of the crime reference number. In most cases your insurers will wait a period of up to six weeks to see if the vehicle is recovered, prior to making a settlement offer.
The original Vehicle Registration Document (V5), MOT Certificate, purchase receipt and details of any finance/lease agreement etc need to be passed to insurers to enable them to set a value on the vehicle.
Employers Liability – Injury to Employees
Your insurers MUST respond to any letter of claim you receive within 21 days, otherwise the claimant’s solicitors can issue proceedings without any sanction. It is essential therefore, that all letters of claim be passed on to us immediately upon receipt with all relevant information.
This means you must:
- Report all claims/incidents likely to give rise to a claim IMMEDIATELY
- Complete a claim form as quickly as possible and return it to us
- Retain all evidence of any incidents such as:
- Incident/Near miss report forms
- Accident Book Entry
- First Aider Report
- Safety Officer Report
- Heath & Safety Executive Documentation
- Photographs/Sketch Plans
- Security Videos
Pass on all correspondence received in connection with the matter to us immediately and unanswered.
Delegated handling
In the case of certain property claims we have the insurer’s authority to handle and agree settlement of the claim on their behalf.
Where we both arrange your policy and handle your claim under the delegated authority of the insurer, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) requires that we point out to you that there is a potential conflict of interest. In the view of the FCA, there is a risk to you from the fact that, in their interpretation, we act for the insurer and not for you.
In practice we have found that dealing with claims this way enables us to provide an improved and more personal service to you and this is backed up by our client feedback.
If you would like to discuss this with us before proceeding with a new policy please feel free to contact us.